Worth More Than Gold

Chapter 22 - Live For the Hope of it All

Lucy let out a sob as she finished throwing for the fifth time the next morning.

Peter sighed, wrapping his arms tightly around his sister, pulling her close.

"I haven't even eaten anything!" She cried, burying her face into Peter's chest.

"I know." Peter said, rubbing a hand up and down her back. He decided to stop making her eat last night, after they realized she couldn't even keep down a simple sip of water. Eating only made her more ill.

"I'm so tired of this." Lucy said, pulling away and looking at her brother. "I'm tired of feeling ill all the time! I can't even remember the last time I felt good. It's so hard! No matter what I do, I always end up feeling worse and worse. Every second that passes by makes me feel like I'm an inch closer to death. And all I can do is sit here, and wait for Susan to come with the water. And hope she does come with the water before it's too late for Edmund. And then our lives will be unlinked, and I'll feel better. But that won't even matter anymore. Because I won't have you." She let out a sob. "What's the point of saving me and Edmund if you won't even be there to see it? I don't want to lose you, Peter! I can't lose you. Neither can Edmund or Susan. They'll fall apart without you, and so will I. We need you Peter. Narnia needs you too. We all need you so much!"

Tears filled Peter's eyes as he listened to his sister. He wrapped her in a tight hug once she'd finished. "Oh, Lucy." He said, trying to hold back his tears.

Lucy simply cried into his chest. "Please, Peter." She sobbed. "Please don't go."

Peter's heart completely broke. "I wish I didn't have to Lucy. But, I can't just let you or Edmund die."

"But you'll die!" Lucy choked.

"But you won't."

This only caused Lucy to cry harder.

Peter sighed sadly. "Look at me, Lucy." He said gently.

Lucy slowly pulled away, looking up at her brother, sniffling as she did.

"I know how hard this is. Maybe I don't know exactly how you feel, because I've never been in the same situation before. But, I can see how much pain you're in. And seeing you in pain, causes me pain. Because I love you, and I don't want you to suffer. And I can't bear to let you go on suffering. Luckily, there's something I can do about it. I can take your pain away. Even though, I'm absolutely terrified of death, I'll die. Because it will save you, and Edmund. So I know it's the right thing to do. Because you two, and Susan are more important to me than anything in the entire world. And I know it's going to be hard for you. I can only imagine how I would feel if the roles were reversed. But I know you can get through it Lucy. Because you are Queen Lucy The Valiant. You are strong, and brave, and full of faith, hope and joy. That is what you need to hold on to. When you feel the least joyful, find it in the smallest things. When hope seems lost, look for the bright side, and live for the hope of it all. When faith seems hard, because life won't let up, hold onto faith with all of your heart. Because that's when it's most important to have faith, when there's no reason to. And trust in Aslan. He can get you through this. He can get me through this. He can get Edmund and Susan through it too. He's never failed us before, and he won't start now. Even though it doesn't feel like it right now, and it might not feel like it for a long time. I can promise you one thing. We are all going to be okay, no matter what."

Lucy took a deep breath, trying to take in what Peter had said, and thinking about it. After a while, she gave him a nod. "You're right." She breathed. "I know you're right. I love you so much, Peter." She said, wiping her tears away.